We can find a great description of this war in the book of Romans, chapters 6–8. I’ll use a passage in chapter 7, verses 14–24.
For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Bound by the Chains of the Flesh Without the Spirit
Before I was born again, I didn’t care that I went along sinning. I came from a broken home where daily sinning was prevalent and normal. I started drinking alcohol, cursing, having sex, fist fighting, lying, stealing, and taking the Lord’s name in vain at a very young age. We all live in flesh that has a sinful agenda that’s contrary to God’s law. Without the Holy Spirit convicting us, we don’t care that we sin and are blinded to the severity of the implications of our sin.
I’ll share a quick example of what a normal day of life was like before I was saved. I was a slave to alcohol and woke up every day hungover and angry.
“Today I woke up with an intense headache, sour stomach, and diarrhea. Being ill from alcohol was an everyday occurrence. I need to rush because I only have 15 minutes to get ready and leave for work. My thoughts are racing, wondering what I did at the end of the night last night. I know I got into an argument with my friend Derek and said some nasty things. My memory is hazy, but I can remember getting into a fight at the bar. That would explain why my knuckles hurt. My pride tells me, ‘Serves that guy right for thinking he can mess with a guy like me.’ As the events start to come back to me in the first hours of work, I remember making out with a random girl outside of the bar. She told me she lived close by and that we should go there and have sex—just another tally in the ‘premarital sex’ box. It made me feel good to reminisce about beating someone up and hooking up with another girl. I don’t get paid until Friday, and I’m out of marijuana, but I really need some to curb my hangover right now. My coworkers are such idiots, and I hate them. At lunchtime, I look forward to bringing up a political topic and taking the side they don’t agree with so we can all get into an argument. I love going back to work knowing they are all pissed off. If I’m going to suffer, so is everyone around me. I hate life and the structure of the world. Finally, off work and headed straight to the bar. I’m ready to drink and cause mischief all over again. This is my life.”
Galatians 5:19–21
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
I wasn’t convicted of the sin in my life. I often boasted about things like hooking up with a girl or beating someone up. I was proud of my sin. I liked causing strife among the people around me. I enjoyed doing drugs and drinking alcohol. My apartment was always messy, and it didn’t bother me. This text in Galatians is a list of behaviors I regularly engaged in. I was in chains to my flesh, headed to death, and I didn’t even know how full my life was of iniquity.
Receiving the Holy Spirit
My life came to an incredible point. I found myself in a pit so deep I had no way of getting out. I dug until I hit rock, and it was time to put the shovel down. I had nowhere to turn. I gave my life to the world, and it took everything else. I became increasingly suicidal and started entertaining a plan. If someone you know is in a bad way and starts making a plan to kill themselves, you need to act immediately.
Although my sin didn’t bother me, the results of it did. I accumulated two DUIs, a couple of felonies, and approximately half a dozen misdemeanors. My work life was terrible, and I bounced from job to job. My home life also suffered, and I lost my daughter as a result of my alcohol abuse. My life was in shambles everywhere you looked.
Romans 10:13
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
It took several days to get on my knees and cry out to God. My pride conflicted with my soul. I felt weak—and I was weak. I had a lot of resentment toward God and felt like the results of my life were His fault. So there I was, crying out to God. Every day for two weeks, I prayed that He would take my alcohol addiction away from me. He didn’t show up immediately and let me suffer awhile. I didn’t deserve immediate rescue anyway.
But the Lord is merciful and showed up for me. Praise God! I was a wicked person, but through His mercy, He turned His eyes toward me and lifted me out of the sewer. I believe He performed a miracle for me. I woke up one day, and the desire to drink was absolutely gone—no cravings, no thoughts, no desire to drink anymore. The chains were broken, and I was free from addiction. That was three years and seven months ago. All glory to God.
This isn’t a post about my testimony or how God delivered me from addiction, but I feel compelled to show the glory of God through this experience.
Now that I was saved and confessed Jesus as my Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit came into me and now dwells with me.
John 14:15-17
If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:26
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Ephesians 1:12-14
That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ: in whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
The fight begins
Galatians 5:17
For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Ephesians 4:20-24
But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Colossians 3:5-11
Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: for which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: in the which ye also walked sometime, when ye lived in them. But now you also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
Everyday we must put on the new man and walk in the spirit. After God miraculously took from me the desire to drink, I thought I was good to go and that’s all I needed to do. I was ignorant in my thinking. The Holy Spirit started convicting me on my sin. Slowly but surely, I was made aware of the lusts of my flesh, and it became a daily battle. I remember thinking my life would be perfect if I could stop drinking, but boy, was I wrong. It’s as if Christ himself spoke to me and told me, “I demand everything.” All my sin had to go. The anger, lies, pride, fornication, strife, and so much more couldn’t be apart of my walk with Jesus.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can gain daily victories against the flesh. Somethings God will take away immediately, and others we must fight daily. Also, I’ve learned that God usually works on one thing at a time. Now that we are warring against the fruits of the flesh, we must be awake and pay attention to ourselves.
How are we speaking to one another? How often do we lie? Have we been angry towards others repeatedly? Do we look at our neighbors and wish we had what they have? When we are at work, do we find ourselves fantasying about a fellow coworker? Do we watch porn or read graphic novels? Are we worshipping God or other idols like our phones? Do we doom scroll more then we read our bibles? Do we hold onto hatred towards someone rather then forgiving them?
Keep fighting until the end
2 timothy 4:6-7
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith
We will never be able to discard this flesh until its our time to go home to the Lord. Let’s keep in the good fight and finish our race. Battling the flesh is a never ending war but will only be for a moment if we consider we are eternal beings and our life is but a vapor. I encourage us to investigate our sin and fight against it. Pray to the father and ask him to search our souls and make know to us our iniquity. Let us repent and turn from our sin towards obedience unto the Father.
I’ll leave you with an analogy: there are two dogs inside of you—a white one and a black one. The black dog represents the flesh, and the white one represents the Spirit. I can ask you, which one do you think is the biggest? And the simple answer is, the one you feed the most.
Let us always feed the Spirit through reading God’s Word, praying, worshipping, attending church, giving, fasting, loving each other, seeking God, and, most of all, trusting in God!!
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